Friday, 28 December 2012

Calm and Bright

We have had a lovely christmas and i hope you all have too.........it seemed to pass so quickly.......we had a lot of happy times with older and younger members of the family and it was a real pleasure to see the children's shining eyes and rosy cheeks on christmas day...............

............i had been sewing right up to christmas and again soon after because i love it soooo much....crafting makes me happy :)...........this is a textile themed drawstring bag for giving hand made gifts in, and then for using to neatly store away crafty items or to take small projects about in.....i will be using one for my new crochet project (more about that soon)...............

...........and this adorable fabric bowl was made by my sweet blog friend teje who is so talented and makes really lovely things for her etsy shop here and whose lovely blog is here...........i saw the fabric bowl on teje's blog and immediately loved it so was very glad she had one in her shop.....it fits in perfectly in my sewing room and i have loved looking at it over christmas :).............teje also sent me a lovely gift................

...........this sweet little soft pinwheel star decoration which will be treasured for many christmases to come......

...........here are a few little pictures from our christmas home............a silvery blackbirdie, pretty glass containers and candle holders, a little glimpse of the gorgeous jingle bells bunting which was designed, printed and constructed for me by my daughter rosie......(this is another treat to treasure for the future too)............ and teje's lovely bowl filled with festive fruits.......

..........we had a little christmas tea party here yesterday for various family members............i am thinking i have maybe had enough mince pies now ;)..........

.............one of the things i love most about the time around new year is having bulbs coming into flower, especially hyacinths, narcissi and paperwhites ..........they are so deliciously scented and the pure colours and crisp flowers cheer up even the dullest of days.........we have had a lot of rain here and some very squelchy muddy country walks and breezy seasidey ones............

............still a few days of holiday to go for mr p and we are making the most of it...........i hope you have had a happy holiday over the past week too..............thank you for reading my blog and for your very sweet comments and emails.............it's wonderful to be in touch with so many other crafters around the world and to share our makes and crafty lives............wishing you all a very Happy New Year and a fabulous, inspired and creative year in 2013................back soon xxxxxxxxxxxooooooooooxxxxxxxxxxxx

36 comments:

Helen, my best wishes for you. I hope you have a Happy New Year entrance. I follow your blog in the next year, so everything's great what you do ... thanks for all the good times you give us ... Thanks Helen ... and thank you for your comments on my blog, you always make me happy ... thanks for everything, thanks ...

Dear Helen, I'm so happy to hear that you have had wonderful time! Your Christmas looks adorable sweet and beautiful! I feel strange to see my fabric basket with your most lovely things. Thank you so much for your kind words! Hyacinths are my favourites and especially white - ah I can imagine the smell from your photos! Thank you again for a happy and beautiful post! I wish you and your family all the best for the New Year! x Teje

Glad you had a lovely Christmas Helen. Time with family is very precious. It's lovely to see Teje's work too, what a great storage bag. Your bulbs are much further on than mine but it is wonderful to see signs of spring isn't it. Enjoy the rest of the holiday,Jane x

Glad you had a lovely time with your family, it's what it's all about really. Your makes are beautiful, yes you can't beat the smell of spring bulbs! Very soon I'm going to be longing for spring! It usually hits me mid January!!! :) x

Glad you had a lovely Christmas Helen! :) your little fabric bowl is very sweet and I love the bulbs in the Greengate cup! It's lovely to see all the bulbs emerging and the thought of springtime. :) wishing you a very happy new year!,,Vivienne xx

I love the bright colors of the little bag, so pretty! I also love forcing bulbs. I went out to the greenhouse the other day and found a pot of daffodils coming up. I had completely forgotten about them! So inside they came. Can't wait to see them bloom. Have a very Happy New Year!

Dear Helen, I hope you and your family have had a wonderful Christmas. I really, really enjoyed reading your blog during 2012. It was so full of nice pictures and wonderful sewng works. Wishing you all the best for the new year 2013. Nicolexxx

Hello! Your new drawstring bag is really sooo beautiful! I love the fabrics and detail with button (I love buttons!) :) And presents from your friends... it is so nice to have a good friends :)So, have a lovely time! Jolana

Hello dear, sweet Helen! I am so happy you had a lovely Christmas! We did too! I love your beautiful drawstring bag! The colors are so happy and cheerful! You sew beautifully and always inspire me! Crafting makes me happy too, sweetie! The basket you ordered from your friend is lovely and the little pinwheel is so sweet! I love your decorations and gift from your sweet girl! I love hyacinths! I hope the sun shines soon, but glad to hear you enjoyed nice walks. Love that gorgeous bag! Your photos are all so pretty too! Enjoy the rest of the holiday with mr p and I hope your New Year is fabulous, inspired and creative too! I look forward to all you will share! Much love and hugs, Paula xoxo

Hello HelenSounds like a wonderful Chistmas, It is all over so quickly, your fabric combinations are so pretty I love the little bag..I really enjoy watching bulbs opening, I have a pot on my kitchen windowsill..yours are so pretty in their cupsAll the best for 2013Thea x

I a so glad you had a lovely Christmas. Me too! And also spent all these past few days going bonkers on the crafting front. I have bravely committed to a craft fair so Valentines Day hearts here we come!!!I brought some bulbs but they are too shy at the moment to come out .... I need to give them a little helping hand but not sure what to do!!!

Thank you for all the joy you have brought me this past year...your creative spirit has blessed so many! Sending you PEACE mixed with oodles of joy for 2013! Guess what I am doing today??? Sewing!!!!...I am going to try to make a new slipcover for my stool...all patchworkie and granny like! Wish me luck! xoxo

Hello Helen, Happy new year to you my friend. As ever it is a vision of lovliness over here. I have been catchin up with your last post which I missed! I love all your little houses and the snowy pictures you made. The reds/pinks and turqoise are so very fresh together.Also in this post, your little patchwork bag is lovely and Teje's fabric box is wonderful, what a good find.I love the mix of fabrics flowers and china that you always have, it is very inspiring. uch love to you, Linda x

Hello Helen,Lovely to hear you have had a wonderful Christmas I must say I have too. Its my favourite time of the year!Gorgeous bag using those lovely bright colours that you use....red always seems to be present. Look at those buttons you have used too....the heart ones are the cutest.

Happy New Year Helen!...Wishing you and your family all good things in 2013...Your makes are always so pretty...I love the colours in your drawstring bag and I have definitely fallen for the bulbs in your pretty Greengate cup. I'm looking forward to visiting you as always through this year Helen...Enjoy the last days of the holiday with Mr.P!Susan x

Another really inspiring blog, Helen. As ever, your posts are so happy and colourful and give us all so much enjoyment and hope in our crafting adventures ... just so thrilled your holidays were so happy and filled with family and friends visiting.I look forward to the New Year and learning from you with each post you share.I do hope that this coming New Year will be a happy and a healthy one for you and your loved ones.Hugs from across the pond,Patricia

about me

I am a designer, author, illustrator, stitcher and I just love crafting and making things. I live on the North West coast of England with my lovely husband. My family mean the world to me - I have two amazing grown up daughters and two sweet grandchildren - a little boy and a new baby girl.